Tag Archives: Television

Earlier on Facebook, I saw this quote from Daniel Craig. The quote itself is entertaining, but it really makes you think how a little effort and luck can go a long way today.

Remember when actors trained in the theatre before entering Hollywood, and when singers were not starting clothing lines? Those people had true talent, and they had every right to make money off it. Now, if you turn on a show like “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, it’s fairly obvious that fame has easy access now, no talent required.

I was never a huge Lauren Conrad fan, but I was a loyal viewer of “The Hills”. I suppose this how LA Candy sparked an interest in me, and to be honest, I kind of wish it hadn’t.

Well, that’s not entirely true. The first 3/4 of the book had so many trivial details, such as what Scarlett and Jane (the main characters) were wearing and how their make up was done. I felt stupid as a person reading these details , and was dying for her to hurry the hell up before my IQ dropped too low. But then you get to the last 1/4 of the book, and it becomes so intense. I kept reading frantically, so excited to find out what happens, then there’s a cliffhanger. OMG!!! (she uses texting language a lot…and parentheses). Now, I have been forced to read the sequel, “Sweet Little Lies”. I guess LC knew that without keeping the readers guessing, nobody would buy the sequel. This is based on the assumption that the sequel is as poorly written as the first book.

Actually, I’m wrong. Poorly written does not even begin to describe the paragraph formation and the detailing in this novel. Many were quick to assume that a ghostwriter had written this for Conrad, but the truth is, I could practically hear her narrating the story as I read it. Aside from the irrelevant details, most of the characters were extremely bland, with the exception of Scarlett. I kind of wish Conrad had made Scarlett the star of the show “L.A. Candy”, and not Jane, simply because Jane was so boring. Honestly, if I was Madison Parker, I would be pissed off that Jane was the star of the show as well. I suppose in all fairness to Conrad, Jane was a reflection of herself – and I never found Conrad remotely interesting.

I give the girl an A for effort, because the plot really did have potential. It’s just unfortunate that she wasted so many pages on useless detail. Having said that, I am guilty of currently reading “Sweet Little Lies”, the sequel.

I recommend “L.A. Candy” to: girls ages 13 and above, or girls who are mature enough to understand that the chances of them living a life in reality TV are slim to none.

I would have written on this topic sooner, but I didn’t have a blog back then. I initially wanted to put up pictures of all the girls, but felt that everyone can Google that themselves if they want to. I have a lot of strong opinions about Toddlers and Tiaras, so to all those moms out there who are entering their daughters in this pageant: don’t read this if you are not prepared to be criticized. Trust me, you will be offended.

Remember that adorable little girl who went on stage dressed in a costume from a certain movie? The girl’s mom defended herself in an article saying that it was supposed to be “comical” and that she did it because she loves Julia Roberts. Yes, Pretty Woman was a great movie, and Julia’s performance was capturing as always. So if you love Julia Roberts so much, don’t insult her by dressing your three year old up as her in a movie playing a prostitute, on international television.

Another sweet little girl’s mom gives her an energy drink that is half Mountain Dew and half Red Bull. Apparently the “pageant crack”, which are sticks of powdered sugar, did not give her daughter enough energy. I’m not sure how old the little girl is, but she is way too young to have that much caffeine in her body. Red Bull gave a grownup man a heart attack – it is terrifying to think what the effect would be on a toddler. It’s a fact that caffeine stunts your growth too, and this whole situation begs the question: does this mom want her daughter to be 3 feet tall all her life? Keep in mind that kids are cruel, and they will tease her for her height. Mom, will you being in the spotlight now really be worth your daughter’s misery in the future? I hope to God your answer is no.

These are just two extreme examples, but the bottom line still remains that this concept of televising little girls parading about in provocative clothing is disturbing. Watch clips of when the moms are getting their daughters ready for the performance, and re-think the word abuse. You will see the moms tugging at their daughters hair, while the girls scream because it hurts and they are tired. You will see the moms layering foundation, powder, bronzer, tanner, blush, and highlighters on their toddler’s face. Their skin is too delicate to handle that much makeup. I understand putting a little blush, and eyeshadow and lipstick on them, but not making your toddler wear more makeup than you would as an adult. People think that yelling at your child is abuse, but it’s not. This is abuse.

There are countless awareness programs out there to prevent sexual abuse against children, and yet, people are setting up their daughters as victims. Look at what happened to JonBenet Ramsey. She was involved in these pageants, and she was also raped before she was killed. Think about the type of people who watch this show. Like any other parent, these moms would naturally be upset if their daughter was sexually abused, or grew up thinking this behavior is normal. Unfortunately, these are only two of the many consequences of making your five year old look like a stripper.